Your Neurofeedback Appointment - What is an EEG?
When we talk about neurofeedback, there are many terms that we use that might be unfamiliar to you. First is the Brain Map, your beginning step for getting started with neurofeedback. Another term that is used in conjunction with neurofeedback is EEG. You might have heard of these initials from your medical doctor in regard to having a sleep study done, or from a neurologist to help diagnose seizures, epilepsy, brain injury, dizziness, headaches or other medical conditions. But when it comes to neurofeedback and how it can help your anxiety, depression, chronic pain condition, or stroke/brain injury –
What is an EEG?
First and most importantly, EEGs DO NOT introduce any electrical current into the brain! The use of EEG during neurofeedback is to observe the brain’s activity. This is not “shock therapy”
An EEG (Electroencephalography) is a simple fabric cap that is embedded with sensor electrodes. The cap is placed on your head, like any other hat, and is connected to the computer with wires. EEG takes advantage of the fact that our brains produce and emit very small amounts of electricity. The sensor electrodes on the cap (19 sensors in our case) reads the electrical signals of your brain and sends the information to the computer to be interpreted. This information is then analyzed in order to give us a clear understanding of your specific patterns of brain activity.
For neurofeedback training, the EEG cap is placed on your head and your brain’s functioning is monitored so that you can receive a “reward” for when brain waves are within desired protocolIn order for the sensors to get an accurate recording of the brain, we must make a connection between the scalp and the sensors. This is achieved by simply using a bit of “sugar scrub” on the area to ensure a good connection and then applying a small amount of electro-gel to connect the receptor to the scalp. This gel is similar to hair gel and allows the signal to go from the sensors and into the computer. The entire EEG process is completely painless, noninvasive, quick and efficient.
Find out how neurofeedback might be helpful for your anxiety, depression, chronic pain, or stroke/brain injury. Read more about our neurofeedback specialist, Ben, and call Harper Therapy at 813-434-3639 for a free consultation.
